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Wikipedia: An operating system (OS) is software that manages computer hardware and software resources and provides common services for computer programs.
The key is "common services for programs." Boot loaders, video games and hypervisors don't do this. They run, at most, one application and normally are the application themselves. They aren't platforms for programs like an operating system is.
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what about packaging firewalls like pfsense, can we consider it an OS or what exactly ??
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@IT-ADMIN said:
what about packaging firewalls like pfsense, can we consider it an OS or what exactly ??
It is an appliance. pfSense is a network security appliance, not an OS. pfSense runs on FreeBSD which is an OS.
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Ok thank you for the info
i remark from your thread and answers that you give much importance to terms and names, -
@IT-ADMIN said:
i remark from your thread and answers that you give much importance to terms and names,
Correct terms and names are always important, but in IT they are far more important than in most fields (maybe not as much as medicine, but similar.) A tiny misuse of a word could result in a big disaster (I've seen this many times.)
But even when using a term or misunderstanding one doesn't cause a big problem, it does represent a place where there is a lack of understanding. In a case like this one, calling HyperV or ESXi an OS causes no harm at all. Everyone knows what is meant and there is no mistake.
But it shows a place where there is a potential for misunderstanding later. Possibly if someone is looking for an OS, do we know what they need? How do people interpret statements like "an OS should never run on bare metal" if anything we put on bare metal is considered an OS? It is through the accurate and precise use of terms that we convey meaning and intent. Without that accuracy many best practices, ideas or similar might be interpreted very incorrectly without anyone realizing that there was misunderstanding.
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do we should be careful regarding this matter ?, because what is important to many people is to make other people to understand them regardless the terms
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@IT-ADMIN said:
do we should be careful regarding this matter ?, because what is important to many people is to make other people to understand them regardless the terms
If terms are not used accurately, how can you ever be sure that they did understand?
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ok i got it, sorry i post the last question before seeing your last post
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Just because we use terms correctly doesn't mean that people will understand, but if we use them incorrectly we introduce misunderstanding. The more important understanding is, the more important correct terminology is.
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Often, understanding a term, means we understand a concept. Misusing a term often highlights an opportunity for more deeply understanding a concept. Like in this case, in multiple communities, an opportunity arose for many people to learn was an operating system actually is rather than just making assumptions based on common usage. This should allow all of those people to now better understand discussions around operating systems in a way they could not have before.
But even moreso than that, by understanding what an operating system is, what a hypervisor is, what alternatives are it should increase the mental lexicon used to imagine ideas and create theories. Simply by expanding the terms from being fuzzy, overlapping or loose concepts into concrete ideas it should allow for more expressive understanding and ideas around those concepts.
For example, just by knowing what a hypervisor and operating system are it naturally gives us the ability to understand much about them and their relationships with each other and other things.
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i remark from your speech that you are philosopher more that IT person, lol
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really the way you write is very eloquent
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@scottalanmiller said:
@IT-ADMIN said:
really the way you write is very eloquent
Thank you.
you are welcome
